Talks are scheduled between the government and protest leaders at 4 p.m. local time Friday (4 a.m. Friday ET), and media coverage will be allowed. The government's number two official, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, will be the principal negotiator from the government side.

Embattled Chief Executive C.Y. Leung released a video statement saying students should consider the inconveniences to the general public and insisted the students clear the vehicle entrances to the government complex. He also advised students to leave the protest site in Mong Kok.

The news of official talks comes as a dwindling number of pro-democracy demonstrators continue to cling on to their protest sites in key areas of the tightly packed city. As their numbers wane, so does patience of some of their fellow citizens.

"At first, I supported them, but then I started to think they are being selfish because they block the roads -- and that's wrong," said Virginia Lai, who has sold newspapers from a stall in the busy district of Mong Kok for 45 years.

Lai says her business is down 30% and getting worse. The student-led demonstrators are camped out at a major intersection in the neighborhood, which witnessed violent clashes between protesters and their opponents over the weekend.

A CNN team at the main protest point in the Admiralty area also witnessed friction Tuesday night as a handful of protesters wearing blue ribbons -- indicating an anti-Occupy stance -- were mobbed by hundreds of Occupy student protesters.

Hong Kong unrest – Police remove barricades and tents outside government headquarters in Hong Kong on Thursday, December 11, 2014. The main site of pro-democracy protests for the past two months was broken down piece by piece, and police dragged out the last remaining demonstrators one by one.

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Hong Kong unrest – Workers clear barricades on December 11. Protesters wanted to pressure the government to allow open elections for Hong Kong's chief executive in 2017.

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Hong Kong unrest – Authorities dismantle a barricade December 11 at the main protest site.

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Hong Kong unrest – A police officer removes a protest banner from a bridge December 11.

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Hong Kong unrest – A worker cleans the street after Hong Kong police dismantled the main protest camp December 11.

Hong Kong unrest – A protester is carried away by police officers on December 11.

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Hong Kong unrest – A crowd listens to a speaker at the main Hong Kong protest site in Admiralty on Tuesday, December 9.

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Hong Kong unrest – Few pro-democracy activists tents remain on the road outside Hong Kong's Government Complex on December 9.

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Hong Kong unrest – Hong Kong teenage protest leader Joshua Wong ended his hunger strike after about five days on Saturday, December 6, on the advice of his doctor.

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Hong Kong unrest – The three co-founders of the Occupy Central movement -- from left, Benny Tai Yiu-ting, Chan Kin-man, and the Rev. Chu Yiu-ming -- surrender to authorities in Hong Kong on Wednesday, December 3.

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Hong Kong unrest – Student protest leader Joshua Wong carries his belongings toward a tent at the main protest site in Hong Kong's Admiralty district on Tuesday, December 2. Wong and two other student demonstrators have begun a hunger strike to demand discussions with Hong Kong's leaders over political reform for the city.

Hong Kong unrest – Policemen keep vigil as pro-democracy demonstrators gather on street parallel to where a protest site was cleared in the Mongkok district of Hong Kong on Friday, November 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters cry as police officers try to stop them from blocking the road in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on Wednesday, November 26.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police clash with protesters as they try to clear a major protest site on Tuesday, November 25.

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Hong Kong unrest – A protester is carried away by police officers on November 25. Hong Kong's high court authorized police to arrest protesters who obstruct clearance of the area.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police try to arrest a protester on November 25.

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Hong Kong unrest – A demonstrator is sprayed with pepper spray by the police after refusing to leave the protest site on November 25.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters break a glass door of the Legislative Council on Wednesday, November 19.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters stand off with police officers outside the Legislative Council building after clashes on November 19.

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Hong Kong unrest – Security staff members remove a barricade outside the CITIC tower near a protest site in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong on Tuesday, November 18.

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Hong Kong unrest – There were no signs of resistance from protesters, some of whom helped bailiffs, police and CITIC representatives move barricades away on November 18.

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Hong Kong unrest – The Admiralty protest site is shown on the road outside the Hong Kong Government complex on Monday, November 17.

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Hong Kong unrest – Student leaders attempted to fly to Beijing to deliver a message to the Chinese government on Saturday, November 15. They were denied boarding after being informed that their entry permits were invalid.

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Hong Kong unrest – A businessman walks to work past protester-placed barricades that blocked a road at the Admiralty protest site on Thursday, November 13.

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Hong Kong unrest – People open umbrellas at the main protest site in Hong Kong on Tuesday, October 28. The umbrella has become the defining image of the protest movement, used to shield protesters from tear gas and the elements.

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Hong Kong unrest – Riot police stand guard near a barricade in a protester-occupied area on Wednesday, October 22.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy protesters at an occupied area outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong watch a live broadcast of talks between Hong Kong government officials and protesters on Tuesday, October 21.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police and protesters face each other across a barricade as tensions continue in Hong Kong on Monday, October 20.

Hong Kong unrest – Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung arrives for a news conference on October 16. He said talks would resume with students as early as next week, but he said street protests had caused severe disruption and could not continue.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy demonstrator Ken Tsang gets taken taken away by police before allegedly being beaten up in Hong Kong on October 15. Authorities have vowed to conduct an investigation into a widely circulated video that appears to show plainclothes officers kicking and punching the man.

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Hong Kong unrest – A police officer shouts at a protester who was hit with pepper spray on October 15.

Hong Kong unrest – Cleaners sweep the main road after the police's removal of barricades on October 14.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police ask a protester to leave the main road of Hong Kong's Central district on October 14.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police dismantle barricades from the streets on October 14.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police officers run to barricades set up by protesters on October 14.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters raise their hands behind police officers after people tried to remove the metal barricades that protesters set up to block off main roads near the city's financial district on October 13.

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Hong Kong unrest – A police officer tries to stop a man from removing metal barricades set up by protesters on October 13.

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Hong Kong unrest – A police officer scuffles with a man on October 13.

Hong Kong unrest – People gather beneath the statue "Umbrella Man," by the Hong Kong artist known as Milk, which has become a symbol at the protest site, on Saturday, October 11, in Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy protesters remain scattered at the protest site in Admiralty on Thursday, October 9. The government canceled talks that day after protest leaders urged supporters to keep up the occupation.

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Hong Kong unrest – Taxi drivers attend a small demonstration calling for protesters to stop blocking roads through the city on October 9.

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Hong Kong unrest – A woman drinks a soda as she walks past a barricade erected by pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong on October 9.

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Hong Kong unrest – A pro-democracy protester sleeps on a street in the occupied area surrounding the government complex in Hong Kong on Wednesday, October 8.

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Hong Kong unrest – A pro-democracy protester reads a newspaper in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district on Tuesday, October 7, as a police officer stands nearby.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters walk up an empty street inside the protest site near Hong Kong's government complex on October 7.

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Hong Kong unrest – Joshua Wong, a 17-year-old student protest leader, is interviewed at the protest site near government headquarters on Monday, October 6.

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Hong Kong unrest – A man walks to work as pro-democracy demonstrators sleep on the road in the occupied areas surrounding the government complex in Hong Kong on October 6.

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Hong Kong unrest – A ray of sunlight bathes sleeping protesters as they occupy a major highway in Hong Kong on October 6. Protesters say Beijing has gone back on its pledge to allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong, which was promised "a high degree of autonomy" when it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

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Hong Kong unrest – People take an escalator to work as protesters sleep on October 6.

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Hong Kong unrest – The statue "Umbrella Man," by the Hong Kong artist known as Milk, stands at a pro-democracy protest site in the Admiralty district on October 6.

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Hong Kong unrest – People walk to work on a main road in the occupied areas of Hong Kong on October 6.

Hong Kong unrest – A pro-democracy protester holds on to a barrier as he and others defend a barricade from attacks by rival protest groups in the Mong Kok district on Saturday, October 4.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy student protesters pin a man to the ground after an assault during a scuffle with local residents in Mong Kok on October 4.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy protesters raise their arms in a sign of nonviolence as they protect a barricade from rival protest groups in the Mong Kok district on October 4.

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Hong Kong unrest – A pro-Beijing activist holds up blue ribbons for anti-Occupy Central protestors to collect as pro-government speeches are made in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on October 4.

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Hong Kong unrest – A man sits in front of a barricade built by pro-democracy protesters on October 4 in the Kowloon district.

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Hong Kong unrest – Thousands of pro-democracy activists attend a rally on the streets near government headquarters on October 4 in Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong unrest – A group of men in masks fight with a man who tried to stop them from removing barricades from a pro-democracy protest area in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on Friday, October 3.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police raise hands against protesters as an ambulance tries to leave the compound of the chief executive office in Hong Kong on October 3.

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Hong Kong unrest – A protester tries to negotiate with angry residents trying to remove barricades blocking streets in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay on October 3. Large crowds opposed to the pro-democracy movement gathered to clear the area.

Hong Kong unrest – Protesters camp out in a street in Hong Kong on Wednesday, October 1.

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Hong Kong unrest – Founder of the student pro-democracy group Scholarism, Joshua Wong, center, stands in silent protest with supporters at the flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong on October 1.

Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy protesters argue with a man, left, who opposes the occupation of Nathan Road in Hong Kong on September 29.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy protesters sit in a road as they face off with local police on September 29.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy protesters rest around empty buses as they block Nathan Road in Hong Kong on September 29. Multiple bus routes have been suspended or diverted.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police walk down a stairwell as demonstrators gather outside government buildings in Hong Kong on September 29.

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Hong Kong unrest – Stacks of umbrellas are ready for protesters to use as shields against pepper spray on September 29.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters turn the Chinese flag upside-down on September 29 outside a commercial building near the main Occupy Central protest area in Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters occupy a main road in the Central district of Hong Kong after riot police used tear gas against them on Sunday, September 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – Demonstrators disperse as tear gas is fired during a protest on September 28. There is an "optimal amount of police officers dispersed" around the scene, a Hong Kong police representative said.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police use pepper spray and tear gas against demonstrators September 28. The protests, which have seen thousands of students in their teens and 20s take to the streets, swelled in size over the weekend.

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Hong Kong unrest – Riot police clash with protesters on September 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – Police and protesters clash during a tense standoff with thousands of student demonstrators, recently joined by the like-minded Occupy Central movement, on September 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – Benny Tai, center, founder of the Occupy Central movement, raises a fist after announcing the group would join the students during a demonstration outside government headquarters in Hong Kong on September 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy activist and former legislator Martin Lee wears goggles and a mask to protect against pepper spray on September 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – A pro-democracy activist shouts at police officers behind a fence with yellow ribbons on September 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – A sign for the Hong Kong central government offices has been crossed out with red tape by democracy activists on September 28.

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Hong Kong unrest – Pro-democracy protesters gather near government headquarters on September 29.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters gather during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Legislative Counsel on September 28 as calls for Beijing to grant the city universal suffrage grow louder and more fractious.

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Hong Kong unrest – Protesters tie up barricades on September 28 during a demonstration outside the headquarters of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong unrest – An injured protester is tended to after clashing with riot police outside Hong Kong government complex on Saturday, September 27.

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Hong Kong unrest – Riot police use pepper spray on pro-democracy activists who forced their way into the Hong Kong government headquarters during a demonstration on September 27.

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Hong Kong unrest – People watch from on high as pro-democracy demonstrators are surrounded by police after storming a courtyard outside Hong Kong's legislative headquarters on Friday, September 26.

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Hong Kong unrest – Students march to Government House in Hong Kong on Thursday, September 25.

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'We are fighting for our future'03:34

At their peak, the demonstrations brought tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents together in spectacular fashion, covering large areas of the semiautonomous territory's central business district in a sea of people.

'Disrupting my life'

But that was last week, when two back-to-back public holidays put work and classes on hold for a lot of people.

As activity has cranked back up in the financial and commercial hub in recent days, crowds at the protest sites have thinned significantly and signs of discontent among other residents have spread.

"I am very angry because this movement is disrupting my life," said Polly Lau, an elderly woman who has lived in Mong Kok all her life. "I think there will be a rebellion actually, a rebellion of the other 7 million people in Hong Kong against them."

The protests have blocked bus and tram routes, worsening traffic and putting more strain on the city's rail network. Some businesses, offices and schools have closed temporarily.

In Tuesday's altercation in Admiralty, a known pro-Beijing activist, Lee See Yin, attempted to address crowds from street level through a megaphone and was surrounded by an angry crowd of hundreds of student protesters who began screaming to drown her out.

She insisted that she was also from Hong Kong and had a right to be heard, asking the crowds, "Is this real democracy?"

The altercation, which involved verbal assault but no apparent physical abuse, lasted 10 to 15 minutes.

Eventually, half a dozen police came over and formed a ring around the handful of anti-Occupy protesters, who then left the area escorted by the officers.

On Sunday, a group of about 30 taxi drivers carried out their own protest to express their frustration with the pro-democracy sit-ins, which they said were affecting their livelihoods, according to local broadcaster RTHK.

But the protest movement also commands a lot of sympathy among residents of the city, especially after police used tear gas and pepper spray in a failed effort to disperse demonstrators on September 28 -- tactics seen by many as overly harsh.

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Some commentators are arguing that now is a good moment for demonstrators to cash in their chips before they lose too much support.

"The longer this drags on, the more student activists risk looking to average Hongkongers like irritants," wrote William Pesek, an Asia-Pacific columnist for Bloomberg View, suggesting it's now "deal time for Hong Kong's students."

"Why not parlay what's been achieved so far into meaningful concessions from the government?" Pesek said.

His suggestion follows calls from some prominent figures, including the heads of local universities, for students to leave the protest sites for their own safety. Other observers have noted that the demonstrators have succeeded in putting the democracy issue back on the agenda.

But it remains uncertain what kind of deal the protesters might be able to reach with the government. One of the movement's demands has been the resignation of Hong Kong's top leader, Chief Executive C.Y. Leung.

Increasing fatigue

Some demonstrators have said they are running out of steam after enduring long days and nights camped out on the asphalt amid stifling heat and torrential downpours.

"I'm tired, but I think we have to stay a while longer," said Kristine Wu, a student who has been at the main protest site on Hong Kong Island for a week.

Other protesters among the depleted crowd still holding firm at the site Tuesday expressed similar determination to stay put until some kind of result was achieved.

"We really have to stand strong," said Luk Kam Yan, a student who had been protesting for eight days. "There's been a lot of rumors about clearing out, but I feel if we stay here, we still have a bit of bargaining power."

Student leaders have said they will continue the protest until they have productive talks with the government and expressed optimism that their supporters will stick with them.

"Many protesters need rest after nine days of occupation," Lester Shum, the deputy secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, said Monday. "I don't believe they are already giving up. When they have recovered, they will return."

But the government appears content to watch the demonstrators' numbers dwindle as negotiations drag on.